Reducing-valve.



No. 757,381. PATBNTBD APR. 19, 1904.

J. J. BURKE. REDUGING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25,1902.

N0 IODEL.

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- Wmwf inventan', Q5-6MM. James Juzfse;

llNiTEp STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

REDUClNG-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming partei' Letters Patent No. 757,881, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed June 25, 1902.

'ZT0- ILZZ whom it mur/U concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. BURKE, acitizen ofthe United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of l-lartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reducing Valves, of' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to reducingvalves such as are usually employed in maintaining a lower pressure in one portion of a heating system than is exerted in the generator connected to said system, and has for its object the provision of a valve ofI this kind which while it will be very sensitive to variations in low pressure will not be affected by fiuctuations of high pressure and one that may be readily adjusted to vary the pressure in the system which it conducts live steam to the reducing-valve, the4 volume of steam the valve is adjusted to receive passing into the low-pressure pipe 6. The high-pressure pipe is threaded at 7 into a iiange S of a tube or barrel 9, having' unobstructed ends, said barrel being thread- Ved-at 10 10' to receive the sections 12 12 of chambered heads 13 18. Secured to said sections 12 12 by bolts and nuts 15 15 are chambered caps 16 16, and between said caps and sections are secured diaphragme 17 17 for a purpose hereinafter described. The low-pressure pipe 6 is threaded into a flange 18 of the barrel 9, and the fiange 8 is continued into the interior of said barrel to form a valvecasing 19, having ports 2O 20', the flow of fiuid through said ports being controlled by valves 21 21, mounted upon a valve-rod 22, carried by the diaphragrns 17 17 and to strengthen said diaphragme plates 28 23' are provided, said plates being mounted upon the valverod 22 and clamped firmly upon each side of the diaphragm by nuts 24 24'.

The means for controlling the pressure in the low-pressure pipe at which the flow of Serial No. 113,094. (No model.)

steam to said pipe will be automatically stopped comprise a tube 25, the inner end of which is threaded into the cap-plate 16', a plug 26, which is threaded into the outer end of said tube and is provided with thumb-wings to permit of its ready rotation, and a coilspring 27, mounted upon the lower end of the valve-rod 22 and inserted between the plug 26 and the diaphragm 17. A bore 26' is formed in the plug 26, in which the lower end of the valve-rod is mounted, this construction serving to permit the plug 26 to be screwed into the tube without affecting the position of' said Valve-rod.

Threaded into the chambered cap-plate 16 and affording communication between a chamber 16" formed in said cap-plate and the lowpressure pipe 6 is an equalizing-pipe 28, a coil 29 being formed in said pipe for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

An air-valve 30 affords communication between the chamber 16" and the atmosphere, said valve serving a purpose which will be hereinafter' described.

High pressure steam enters the valve through pipe 5, at which time the spring 27 has acted upon the diaphragm 17 and through said diaphragm upon the valverod 22 to cause the valves 21 21 to be lifted from the ports 2O 20, thus permitting the passage of the steam into the unobstructed ends of barrel 9, where it exerts an equal pressure upon each of' the diaphragms. It then passes into the low-pressure pipe 6, and as soon as the pressure in said pipe reaches a predetermined point such pressure acting upon the diaphragm 17 through the pipe 28 will cause the valves 21 21 to seat themselves, thereby closing the ports 20 20 against further passage of steam to the low-pressure pipe.

To increase the pressure necessary to cause the valves 21 21 to close the ports 20 20, the plug 26 is screwed into the tube 25, thereby increasing the tension of the spring 27 which will of course necessitate greater pressure upon the diaphragm 17 to overcome the action of the spring to accomplish said result, and it is obvious that to decrease said pressure it is only necessary to unscrew the plug 26, thereby decreasing the tension of said spring, and con- IOO sequently the pressure necessary to overcome the action of the same.

IV hen steam is first admitted to the lowpressure pipe 28, the chamber 16 will be iilled with air, and to permit said air to readily escape the air-valve 30 is provided.

It is obvious that a certain amount ot` water or' condensation will collect in the chamber 16, and to aid in preventing said water from being drawn into the low-pressure pipe the coil or trap 29 is formed in pipe 28.

It is important in devices of the kind herein described that the full pressure of the steam or other Huid employed should be exerted without obstruction against the inner sides of the diaphragms, and these diaphragms must be very sensitive so that they will readily become susceptible to variations in pressure. In prior constructions where a piston of small diameter has been substituted for one of the diaphragms such a device would not operate to accomplish the results achieved by my construction. Furthermore, in such prior constructions known to me the ends of the casting containing the valve-rod have not been free and unobstructed to permit the fullpressure of the motive iluid to act against the sensitive diaphragms, and, as stated, a solid piston of small area would not be suflicientl y sensitive nor contain the necessary surface to enable the high-pressure fluid to act against the same in the manner that it does in the present case.

My invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, but includes such modifications thereoi` as mal be requisite in practical experience, nor is it Emited to employment of any particular fluidpressure system.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is4 y l. The combination, with a tube having an intermediate valve chamber, and provided with an unobstructed extension on each side of-said valve-chamber, of diaphragm-chambers, one located at each end of said tube; iiexible diaphragms covering said chambers; chambered caps removably secured to the chambers, and serving to connect the diaphragms thereto; a spring bearing against one of the diaphragms; means for regulating' the tension of said spring; a high-pressure pipe communicating with the valve-chamber; a valve-rod passing through the tube and valve-chamber and secured to the diaphragms, a valve on said rod, cooperating with a port of the valve-chamber; a low-pressure pipe connected to the tube; and a pipe leading from said low-pressure pipe and entering the cap of one ot' the diaphragm-chambers.

2. The combination, with a tube having an intermediate valve chamber, and provided with an unobstructed extension on each side of said valve-chamber, of diaphragm-chambers secured to the ends of said tube; flexiblel diaphragms covering the topsof said chambers; chambered caps for securing the diaphragms in place; a rod secured to each diaphragm; valves on the rod, and coperating with ports of the valvechamber; a spring bearing against one of thediaphragms; means 'for adjusting the tension or' said spring; aV

high-pressure pipe entering the valve-chamber; alow-pressure pipe communicating with the tube; and a trapped conduit leading from the lowpressure pipe to one of said chambered caps.

3. In a reducing-valve, the combination, with an unobstructed barrel having chambers in each of its ends and provided with a casing having ports, of flexible diaphragms located in and extending across said chambers; chambered caps for securing the diaphragms in place; a rod connected to said diaphragms and having an extension passing through one of them; valves carried by the rod and coperating with the ports of the casing; a highpressure pipe connected to said casing; a lowpressure pipe communicating with the barrel;

Jaulas J. BURKE.

Titnessesz FRANK G. CAMPBELL, FRANCES E. BLoDGuTT. 

